


Taking Chances

by rootsbeforebranches



Category: NCIS
Genre: Drama, Ellick, F/M, Romance, Team as Family, possibly a little OOC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-10-28 14:54:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17789480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rootsbeforebranches/pseuds/rootsbeforebranches
Summary: Nobody knows for sure what's going to happen in the future, be it good or bad.But sometimes, you just gotta be willing to take chances...





	1. The First Risk

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hellokaelyn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hellokaelyn/gifts).



> First off, thank you Hellokaelyn for encouraging me to post this story here on AO3 :)
> 
> This is my first story consisting of multiple chapters, so I hope it isn't too bad.  
> I also hope that the characters aren't too OOC, but they might be since it can be quite hard sometimes to make sure that they behave and speak as they would in the show (at least I think so), especially in stories that have multiple chapters.
> 
> And I also hope that there aren't too many mistakes, English isn't my first language, so sorry for any mistakes.
> 
> I still hope that at least some people are gonna like this story and will enjoy reading it... xD

Ellie and Nick had just come back from an undercover mission, for which they had to pretend to be a couple again like they had when they'd been undercover as Luis and Charlie.

They had successfully closed the case and were standing in the elevator, on the way home, when Ellie had made a suggestion.

''Hey, wanna go grab some drinks? You know, since this time you don't have any scuba tanks waiting for you...?'' she asked with a slight smirk on her lips as she glanced toward him from where she was standing beside him.

''Yeah, sure,'' Nick answered with a little shake of his head at the last part and let out a short laugh.

So they had driven to a bar and drank a few beers while they talked for a bit.

When they noticed it was late though, Nick said it might be time for them to go home and get some sleep since they've had an exhausting day.

''Yeah sure, I can drive you home,'' Ellie said as they paid for their drinks, but Nick shot her a look at that, a frown on his face.

''I don't think that's such a good idea. You drank as much as I did.''

''It was only three beers, Nick. And believe me, I don't get drunk. Like not at all. I tried.'' Ellie tried to convince him, but Nick was still doubtful.

''How can someone not get drunk at all?''

''I have a very good metabolism in case you haven't noticed'' she disregarded Nick's worries with a shrug and got her car keys out of her pocket.

Nick lightly put a hand on her wrist though, halting her motions.

''Okay, let's still better grab a cab though, all right?'' Just because it was safer than either of them driving after they had drunk some beers, he thought.  
Ellie could tell that he did still not believe her entirely about the not getting drunk thing, but was also too tired to argue with him or anything.

So she just let the matter go and relented, putting her keys away again and nodding while he took out his phone to call a cab.

On the way home none of them spoke much, and it was only when they pulled up in front of the building Ellie lived in when Nick said ''I'll walk you to the door,'' and both of them exited the taxi.

In front of her apartment, Ellie unlocked her apartment door and took a step in while Nick remained standing in her doorstep.

''I better head home now too. I'll see you tomorrow at work,'' he said to her, his hands in his trousers pockets.

''All right. Good night, Nick,'' Ellie replied, and after saying good night as well Nick turned to leave.

Ellie was already about to close the door when Nick stopped and turned back again, calling out to her.  
''B, wait!''

There was something that he had to say, something that she had to know, and Nick was worried that if he didn't tell her now, then he might never do so.

That's why he was relieved when she pulled the door open again, staring at him with a confused look.

''What is it?''

He went the few steps back until he was standing in front of her again before he spoke.

''There is something that I need to tell you. Something that I think I've known for some time but tried to suppress... but this undercover case made it resurface again and I think it's time for me to actually acknowledge it...'' he made a short break after that that he used to observe the expression on her face, and saw that her brows were drawn together into a slight frown, underlining her confusion.

''The thing is...I've had feelings for you for...quite a while now, I think. Maybe I've had them since we were undercover as Luis and Charlie, or maybe even before that...but...I don't wanna hide them anymore or tell myself that they're not there, so I had to tell you...''

He waited for a reaction on her side, the shock now evident on her face at his reveal, making him nervous.

What if she didn't feel the same and he had just ruined their friendship by telling her? What would he do if she rejected him now...?

Every second that passed without an answer from her felt like an eternity. The silence almost felt like torture to him.

But after what felt like hours to him but had in reality just been about a minute, she suddenly stepped closer to him and placed her lips onto his.

That had not been the reaction Nick had been expecting, he had to admit, but he wasn't complaining. Quite the opposite, actually.  
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her even closer to him, while one of her hands ended up in his hair and the other arm was placed around his neck as both of them deepened the kiss.

When they pulled apart after some time because their lungs were in need of air, both of them were breathing a little heavier than usual after that passionate kiss as they looked into each other's eyes.

After a minute of silence, Ellie said, ''I have feelings for you too, Nick.''  
Even though the kiss had probably already told him that, she still felt the need to actually say it out loud.

Her confession made him smile, made both of them smile, actually. It was a relieve for both of them to have finally admitted their feelings, most of all that the other actually felt the same way.

''So...would you be willing to have a try at a relationship. You know, start with a date and stuff?'' Nick then carefully asked, knowing she might not be up for the idea despite her feelings since it would break rule 12 and there were probably several more reasons why a relationship between coworkers was a bad idea.

That was what Ellie was concerned about at that moment too.  
But she came to the conclusion that they had both probably been suppressing their feelings for long enough, and they were both mature adults who were able to handle whatever difficulties might come up.

So she gave him a quick kiss on the lips again as she gave him her answer.  
''All right, let's go on a date.''

________________________________________________________________________________

That had been almost 2 years ago now.  
They had started dating and were soon in a serious relationship. They had moved in together a few months ago and even though they had kept their relationship hidden from their co-workers and their families at first, they were both very happy.

It had only been after they'd been together for six months that they had actually told the others about being an item.  
And while their families and the team, as well as the director, had been surprised at first, Gibbs had somehow known already.  
Though that wasn't that big a surprise they realized soon. It was Gibbs, after all.

And they had been even happier than they already were when they had been allowed to stay on the same team together, both Vance and Gibbs allowing them to be in a relationship while on the same team as long as it didn't affect their work and as long as they kept it professional at work.

And Ellie and Nick had managed that quite well.

The only place at work where they allowed themselves to hug or kiss was in the elevator, of course only if they were alone in it because nobody would see it then.

That's how it was today as well.

Gibbs had told them to finish their reports and then to go home a few minutes ago, which Ellie and Nick had been quite glad about because they were both quite exhausted since it had been a very straining case they had solved that day. 

McGee had already left when Ellie and Nick said goodbye to Gibbs as soon as they had finished their reports and made their way into the elevator.

Ellie leaned against the wall, too tired to stand straight, and closed her eyes.  
Nick, who was watching her, felt like she was about to fall asleep right there.

''You tired?'' he gently asked her and stood beside her to wrap one arm around her waist as she leaned against him, her head dropping against his shoulder.

''More like completely exhausted.'' Her eyes were still closed as she slowly gave her reply.

''Yeah, me too,'' Nick told her as he placed a kiss onto her head.  
''I'm really looking forward to our bed.''

Ellie just gave a slight nod at that, apparently too tired to speak much.

When the elevator doors opened they went to Ellie's car, though Nick asked her for the keys when they arrived at it and told her to take the passenger seat since she was too tired to drive in her half-asleep state in his opinion. He was exhausted too, but still much more awake than she was, so he drove them home.

At home, Ellie immediately dropped into their bed, not even wanting to change her clothes into something more comfortable.

Nick first brushed his teeth and got changed himself and then went to Ellie and pulled her up so that she was at least sitting up, after which he helped her take off her shirt and jeans, while she complained because she just wanted to sleep. She was way too tired to move, even if that meant sleeping in her day wear.

Nick didn't listen to her though and afterward helped her into one of his shirts that she liked to wear to sleep. Only after that did he let Ellie fall back onto the bed again, where she immediately snuggled into her pillow, her eyes closed. He figured she wouldn't want to brush her teeth today before sleeping.

Nick let out a small chuckle as he watched her, but when he yawned, he decided it was bedtime for him too.

So he got into bed himself and turned the lights off before he gently kissed her onto her cheek so that he wouldn't wake her up since he'd seen that she was already fast asleep, and then Nick closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep too.


	2. Lunch Break

The next day, they woke up when their alarm clock went off.  
Nick sleepily blinked his eyes open and then turned over in bed to turn the alarm off.

Ellie, on the other hand, had closed her eyes again as soon as she had woken up, not wanting to get up since she still felt quite tired, and therefore just turned to lie onto her other side with a groan.

Nick sat up and turned to Ellie to gently shake her shoulder.  
''Come on, Ell. Time to get up,'' he told her with a yawn.

But his girlfriend just shook her head and pressed her face further into her pillow.

So Nick grabbed the blanket and pulled it away from her, causing her to let out a disgruntled sound as she tried to put the blanket over her body again, but Nick wouldn't let her.

''Ellie, stand up. We have to go to work.''

''I don't want to,'' she murmured into her pillow, still not wanting to get up.

Nick figured he had no other choice but to try a different method then.

He leaned down toward her and first placed a kiss onto her cheek since he couldn't reach her lips because of the way her face was still pressed into the pillow.  
After that, he placed a kiss on her neck and then one on her shoulder, resulting in a slight moan from her.

Ellie thought for a moment, but quickly made a choice and finally turned around to face him, leaning up and wrapping her arms around his neck as their lips met for a gentle kiss.

When they pulled apart again, both had a small grin on their faces.

''Morning, Nick.''

''Finally awake, huh?'' he chuckled at her with a shake of his head, and then both of them finally got out of bed.

Both quickly drank a cup of coffee and ate breakfast in the kitchen before they went into the bathroom to brush their teeth and comb their hair.

Then they chose what to wear for the day, and Nick made a suggestion for a shirt he thought Ellie would look good in.  
He held it up in front of Ellie and asked if she would wear it on the jeans she had chosen.  
It was a soft and cozy pullover that he had bought for her some time ago.

Ellie agreed with a smile, the pullover being one of her favorite things to wear- except for Nick's shirts, which she liked to wear to sleep or on days that they just spend at home, since they were too big on her and therefore very comfortable, and they also smelled like Nick- and both quickly changed their clothes and then drove to work.

___________________________________________________________________________________

When they arrived in the bullpen, they greeted McGee and Gibbs, the two of them having arrived some time before Ellie and Nick, and sat down at their respective desks.

Since they didn't get any case that they, - which they were quite glad about because they were still exhausted from the day before - all of them just worked on cold cases for the day, which allowed Nick and Ellie- with Gibbs's permission of course- to take a lunch break and go eat lunch together at Ellie's favorite place.  
When they had arrived and went inside, they sat down at a free table and ordered what they wanted to eat.  
Nick had to suppress a laugh at the waitress's expression at how much Ellie had ordered for herself.  
He had gotten used to seeing such looks whenever they went out to eat, and could only laugh about it now.

While they waited for their food to be served, they started to have a chat.  
''Do you think we could go visit my family in Oklahoma again sometime soon?  
Yesterday, when I was on the phone with her, my mom complained that it's been quite some time since I've been home. Wanted me to ask you to come too. I think my mom quite likes you.''  
Ellie told him, making Nick grimace.

''Well, then at least one member of your family does.''  
A few months ago, when Nick had been in Oklahoma with her for the first and only time so far since they'd become a couple, and had met her family, her mother was the only one who seemed to like him.  
Her brothers hadn't seemed very thrilled. They'd asked him tons of questions, apparently doubting how important their sister was to him and that he was serious about their relationship.

On the one hand, Nick could understand them, since she was the youngest of the siblings and George, John and Rob felt like it was their job to protect and look after their little sister.  
Not to mention that when Nick had first met them when they'd been at NCIS when she had still been together with Qasim, he'd told them she wasn't his type and that they were just good friends.

But on the other hand, he'd just wanted to get them off his back when he'd told them about Ellie not being his type, and his feelings for Ellie had changed since then, things between him and Ellie were different now.  
Besides, Ellie can look after herself, so the overprotective big brother act was kind of starting to bother Nick a little bit.

''Oh come on, Nick. My brothers meant no harm, they're just looking out for me.  
Besides, I think they just wanted to test you when they asked you all these questions, to see if your feelings for me are genuine,'' she explained to him.

''I actually think that after spending some more time with you the few days we were there, they warmed up to you. They just didn't want to show it. Trust me, in reality, they think you're a good guy.''

That lifted Nick's mood somewhat, though then another member of the Bishop family came to his mind, causing him to frown again.

''And what about your dad?''

While her father hadn't had a biased opinion of him and Ellie's and his relationship like her brothers did, Nick still wasn't sure what the man thought of him.

''Dad actually said that while he had his doubts about me dating a coworker- again-, which was the reason he was so cautious while meeting you, just like my brothers, he told me he knows the expression that you apparently looked at me with more or less the whole time we were there...said it's the same look he used to look at mom with, and still does... an expression saying that you're head over heels in love with me...''  
Ellie looked at him, an obvious smile on her face as she recalled her father saying these words to her, and Nick couldn't do anything but return that smile.

Glad that her family seemingly liked him more than he thought they did, Nick decided to return to the original topic.

''Okay, so back to when we could visit your family again... maybe in a few weeks, as long as there isn't too much up at work, we could take one or two days off for an extended weekend and then take the plane to Oklahoma so that we won't have to drive so long.'' Nick proposed.

It was quite hard sometimes to find the time to visit their families since they always worked a lot, often even on the weekends.

''You think Gibbs will let us both take leave for two days at the same time?'' Ellie kinda doubted that.

''Maybe if we don't have a case and are only working on cold cases...Or else we're gonna have to wait a while longer and fly there for the holidays. Maybe Thanksgiving or Christmas.''

''Yeah, we'll see. I guess I'm gonna tell that to my mom next time I talk to her.'' she figured, making Nick nod in agreement.

Then their food came, so they ended the conversation and enjoyed their lunch before driving back to NCIS to continue working on their cold cases.

___________________________________________________________________________________

When they were home again in the evening, they immediately changed into more comfortable clothes and then sat down on the couch and ate the take-out food they had gotten on the way home since neither one of them felt like cooking anything.

They had gotten Chinese food, and Ellie had eaten her food much quicker than Nick had, but still felt a little hungry even though she'd had a large portion, so she did something that wasn't new to Nick since she did it rather often since they've become an item.  
She stole some of his food. Nick complained at first, even though he was already expecting her to do that since he knew of her large appetite, but then relented, knowing it was never a good idea to get between Ellie and food.

After they were done with their food they turned on the TV and lay down on the couch together and cuddled up.  
Ellie's arms were wrapped around Nick's waist and she laid her head down on his shoulder, while Nick had one arm wrapped around her and pulled her closer to him, both enjoying the warmth coming from the other one's body.

After some time, Ellie got bored off the sports game Nick was watching, and though he offered to change the channel, she told him it was fine. She would just read a book while he watched TV, she told him.  
So she got up to fetch her book and then cuddled up against Nick again, in a position somewhere between sitting and lying, and opened her book to read.

When it was about eleven, both of them could hardly keep their eyes open anymore, so they decided to get ready for bed.

Nick smiled when he saw that Ellie had changed into one of his most comfortable shirts that she had seized for herself and a pair of sweatpants.

Then both of them went into the bathroom to brush their teeth, and after that, they went into their bedroom and lay down in bed.

Ellie was lying on her side as Nick snuggled up to her, his chest against her back and his arm wrapped around her as both of them closed their eyes and went to sleep,


	3. An Important Conversation

It was the weekend and Nick and Ellie were on the road, driving to the home of Nick's sister and her daughter.

A few days ago Nick had had a phone conversation with his sister, who had wanted to see both him and Ellie again- having already met her brother's girlfriend a few times since Nick has been in a relationship with her, and both her and Nick's niece had really liked her from the beginning- so Nick and Ellie had decided to visit them today, since they didn't have to work that day.

Both were already looking forward to meeting Nick's sister and niece again, but as Nick watched Ellie's bright smile when she realized that they were almost there, he thought she was actually more excited and more looking forward to meeting his family than he was.

Not that Nick wasn't happy about seeing them again, but he still felt guilty for what had happened to his sister's husband, his niece's father, even though both of them had reassured him that he wasn't at fault and can't and shouldn't blame himself for it.  
As had Ellie, who had noticed why he seemed kind of down the first time they had visited his sister when he had introduced Ellie as his girlfriend. Without him telling her or saying anything, Ellie had quickly figured out back then what was bothering him, had taken his face in between her hands so that he was looking into her eyes and would actually listen to her and then insistently but gently told him just the same as his sister and niece. That he wasn't the one who killed his brother-in-law and that he should stop blaming himself.

Brushing these thoughts away, not wanting to think about that anymore because he knew that if he did, the guilt would come back and he was, in fact, trying to do what the three girls had told him to do and stop feeling responsible for something out of his control.

Besides, he had just driven into the driveway of his sister's house and parked the car.  
The two of them had just gotten out of the car when Lucia and Amanda came out of the house to greet them.

They gave both Ellie and Nick a hug and then beckoned them to come indoors.

''How are you two?'' Lucia asked once they were inside.  
''We're fine, how are you and Amanda?'' Ellie answered for both of them, Lucia replying with ''We're managing just fine.''

In the kitchen, Lucia told them to sit down at the kitchen table, saying that she was cooking lunch.  
''Oh, that's great, I'm really starving,'' was Ellie's reaction to that, making Nick laugh while he told her that it's no surprise since she's always hungry, which everybody who knows her is aware of.

Seeing that there were no plates, cutlery or anything on the table yet, Ellie proposed that she could lay the table, with which Nick helped her.

When the lunch was finished, the table set and the three were sitting at the table, Lucia called Amanda, who came out of her room then and sat down at the dining table as well and all of them ate their meal.

When they had all finished eating, they remained sitting at the table and talked for a bit.  
''So, has Nick been behaving himself? I know what he can be like,'' Lucia started the conversation.

Ellie let out a laugh, nodding her head in reply.  
''Yeah, he knows to behave himself around me. At least mostly...'' she elucidated.  
Nick knew that Ellie gets angry with him whenever he misbehaves or does something she considers stupid, like almost hitting a guy that was flirting with her and wouldn't leave her alone despite her insisting that she has a boyfriend.  
So to avoid her being angry with him so that he wouldn't have to sleep on the couch, which she often made him do when she was really mad at him, he tried to control himself in most situations.

Lucia seemed amused by what Ellie had said and had to chuckle, thinking back to when Nick was a child.  
''Oh yeah, I remember when Nick was a kid... he was quite a handful. Always got himself into trouble.''

Said guy rolled his eyes and pouted a little. He didn't like his sister and girlfriend teaming up against him.

''Trust me, he's still quite good at getting into trouble.'' Ellie told her, making Lucia say ''I guess some things never change.''  
That comment in return caused Ellie to chuckle.

After that, Lucia started sharing some embarrassing stories about Nick's childhood with Ellie, which had her laugh so much her stomach ached.  
Nick was the only one of them who obviously didn't appreciate his sister telling those stories to his girlfriend since there were some things he did when he was younger that he really wasn't that proud of and which really weren't good for the image he now had.  
Not to mention that some of his actions back then as a child were really humiliating, he had to admit.

At some point, Nick had enough of it and intervened before his sister could reveal any more embarrassing things he'd done back then to Ellie.  
''Okay, can we change the topic now? I think that have been enough stories about me.''

''All right, all right. No need get so whiny about it.'' Lucia shook her head at Nick, being kind of sad that he was ending her storytelling time.

Amanda then asked her mom if she could go back to her room, and after a nod from Lucia, she left the kitchen.

Ellie meanwhile excused herself as she stood up as well, saying that she needed to go to the restroom.

As soon as they heard the sound of bathroom door closing in the hallway, Lucia took Ellie's absence as an opportunity to ask Nick a very important question as she leaned over to him, and in a low voice, she asked him ''So, when are you gonna do it?''  
Nick looked at her for a second, apparently confused by the question.

''Do what?''

His sister rolled her eyes. ''Propose to her.''

Now Nick's expression was utterly dumbfounded.

''Hold on, what?!'' His voice was higher than usual, but he still attempted not to speak too loud to make absolutely sure Ellie wouldn't hear anything, even if he knew she was still in the bathroom since they haven't heard the bathroom door open.  
''Where did you even get the idea that Ellie and I are anywhere close to getting married?''  
It wasn't like he didn't want to marry Ellie, but he was seriously surprised about Lucia outright asking him about it.

''Oh, C'mon, little brother. You've been together for almost two years now, and I mean, it's pretty obvious that you're head over heels in love with each other. And you said that she's told you her family approves of your relationship too and that they like you, and we like Ellie as well. So why shouldn't you two marry? You're so happy together.'' Seeing that in Lucia's mind, Ellie and him getting married seemingly was already a done deal, and she seemed very excited and happy about the idea of her brother getting married to Ellie, Nick decided to tell her what he had been hiding from everyone so far.

''Okay, so I'm gonna tell you something, but you have to keep it to yourself, you hear?''

Lucia nodded. ''Copy that.''

''Okay, so the truth is... I've already picked out a ring,'' he admitted, making his sister's jaw drop.

''Oh my god, really? Why didn't you say anything?''

Nick sighed. ''Because I didn't even know yet when or how I'm gonna propose to her. I'm still trying to figure that out. And I don't even know for sure that she's gonna say yes.''

''What? Why wouldn't she say yes?'' Lucia wondered with a frown.

''Because I don't know if she's ready to get married again. So I was gonna wait some more time until I feel like the time is right.''

Lucia opened her mouth and was about to say something, but then they heard the bathroom door open and Ellie's footsteps sounded on the floor, so she quickly leaned back in her chair again and changed the topic as Ellie sat returned to the kitchen and sat down once more.

''And recently, Amanda told me about some guy that she met in school. Apparently, he just moved to D.C., and from what she told me about him it sounded like she really likes him.  
Can you believe that? I mean, she's way too young for a boyfriend, don't you think, Nick?''

Nick easily played along.  
''Well, she's a teenager, Lucia. It was to be expected that she'd start getting interested in boys eventually.''

Lucia let out a sigh.  
''Yeah, I know, I just didn't expect it to happen so soon, you know? It seems like yesterday to me that she was still my little girl who carried her teddy bear with her everywhere she went...''

Ellie nodded understandingly.  
''Children grow up way too fast.''

''You're right, they really do,'' Lucia agreed before there was a short pause until Lucia resumed speaking, changing the topic.

''So, you've had any exciting case lately?''

After that question, Ellie and Nick started telling her about their latest interesting cases and how they'd solved them, easily continuing the conversation afterward talking about other things as well, until it eventually started getting dark outside and the couple decided it was time for them to head home.

So they said goodbye to Lucia and went to quickly say goodbye to Amanda as well, who was still in her room and then the two left and drove home.  
On the way there, they stopped for take-out because Ellie had stated that she was hungry again, which wasn't surprising to Nick since she had already been a couple of hours without an actual meal- though she had eaten some cookies and a few pieces of a cake in the afternoon that Lucia had baked that morning.

Back at home, Ellie made herself a cup of tea and some coffee for Nick and both settled down on the couch.

''It was nice to meet your sister and niece again,'' Ellie said, making Nick nod with a smile, glad that his family and Ellie got along.

''Yeah, it was. I don't see them often enough... And both Lucia and Amanda really like you, just so you know.''

That made Ellie laugh and smile when Nick added ''Lucia thinks you're good for me.''

He leaned toward her and gave her a chaste and soft kiss.  
''I think so too.''

Ellie slightly grinned.  
''I should hope so,'' she replied with a short chuckle before she took a good look at him and the look on her face changed, turning into a longing expression.

Knowing that expression, his lips turned into a little smirk as he placed another kiss on her lips.

Ellie raised her hands to gently cup his face in them, one of her thumbs stroking his cheek, both still intently staring each other into the eyes.

''I love you,'' Nick said, the love he felt for her obvious in his voice.  
''I love you too.''

Then both of them leaned forward and their lips met again, the kiss starting gentle, but soon turned more passionate as Ellie moved one of her hands to the back of his neck to pull him even closer to her, resting the other one on his shoulder.

Nick's hands meanwhile moved all over her body and under her shirt, needing to touch her.  
They only broke apart for a few seconds for much-needed air and soon, both of them were without shirts.  
Nick took a moment to admire her upper body, now only covered by her bra, while Ellie took that as an opportunity to look and admire his well-exercised body as well.

After that, their lips quickly met again, their hands wandering over the other's body once more.

After a few minutes of making out on the couch, they settled for moving into their bedroom, so they stood up and Nick lifted Ellie up by her waist so that she could wrap her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck to keep from falling, as he carried her into their bedroom, all the while never stopping kissing.


	4. Worries and Advice

A few weeks had passed by, and today Ellie was going to meet Delilah for breakfast so that the two could chat and bring each other up to date.

Shortly after they had arrived at the place they were going to eat at and had sat down, the waitress came by to take their order, asking what they wanted to have.  
Delilah simply ordered a coffee and a french toast and had to laugh when she saw the surprised look on the waitress's face when said woman heard what Ellie ordered.  
''I'll take a french toast too, the pancakes, waffles and bacon and eggs, please. Oh, and a coffee.''

Ellie apparently didn't mind that the woman seemed quite shocked by how much she ordered, so Delilah decided to allow herself to jokingly comment on it.  
''She's starving.''  
Though she then realized, that that might actually be the case, considering Ellie's unbelievable metabolism.

The waitress wrote the rest of Ellie's order down on her notepad -having stopped writing for a second because she was wondering how Ellie would eat all that stuff- and then went away with just a nod.

''So, how are you and Nick?'' Delilah asked the blonde.

''We're good...I mean, things are still going really well between us. I mean, we argue now and then, but not about anything significant...only about little things.'' Something seemingly came to Ellie's mind that made her stop talking for a second and caused her to slightly frown in thought.  
''Though I actually wonder... if he sometimes does things on purpose just to annoy me...''

''Tim mentioned once that Nick likes to drive you crazy, so I guess that might very much be the case,'' Delilah remarked with a short chuckle, causing Ellie to shake her head and let out a laugh.  
''Yeah, that's what I think as well.''

''But let's talk about your cute little kids now. How are the twins doing?'' Ellie asked curiously, changing the topic.

''They're growing up so fast. And they're really starting to get a little heavy. Soon I won't be able to carry them around as much anymore...'' Delilah answered with a smile as she thought of her two children.  
Though it is a little sad that her two little babies are already 3 years old and would turn 4 soon, Delilah thought.

The two kept on chitchatting for some longer, until their food arrived and they happily dug in, especially Ellie.  
________________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, Nick had suggested helping McGee look after Morgan and Johnny while their women were having lunch together, and Tim had happily agreed.

Though what Nick hadn't told him was that he kind of had an ulterior motive for offering McGee his help since he wanted to ask him for some advice.

So, Nick found himself in the apartment of the McGee family, sitting on the couch and drinking a beer after he had helped Tim put down the twins for a nap.

Tim sat down beside him, and now that the children were peacefully asleep in their beds, the two started two relax some more.

Nick hadn't known that humans who were as small as the McGee twins could be that loud when they were screaming due to having a fight about some toy...and that preschoolers could be so tiring, especially Morgan, who was much more active and loud than her brother.

Now that they finally had some quiet, Nick thought about how to start asking Tim for advice.  
But since said man was an investigator as well, he had already noticed that something was up, that Nick seemed almost nervous about something.  
So Tim decided that he'd just be the one to start the conversation and ask Nick about it since Torres for once didn't seem to be able to say what he wanted to get off his chest.

''Okay, so what's up with you, Torres?''

Nick looked up at him, having previously been staring at his feet while he was thinking and every now and then had a sip from his beer, and took a deep breath, deciding to just outright say it.

''I want to propose to Ellie.''

McGee's jaw dropped for a second, obviously not having expected that to come out of Nick's mouth when he had asked him.

Since the other man seemed to be at a loss for words for a moment, Nick just resumed speaking.

''I've already picked an engagement ring. Did that a couple of weeks ago, actually.''

Tim closed his mouth again, having gotten over his initial surprise.  
''Wow...okay...'' Apparently, those were the only words that came to his mind right now.  
''Well, I guess you're certainly better at hiding it than I was when I'd chosen a ring and wanted to propose to Delilah...'' he added after a few seconds.

Nick let out a short laugh, remembering how his co-worker had been behaving like back then.  
''Yeah...but I actually wanted your advice on that. I've been thinking over and over again the past few weeks about where and how to propose, but I just can't decide on what's the best idea...''

He then revealed all the ideas he had garnered to Tim, who quietly listened in the meanwhile.  
Only when Nick had finished speaking, Tim chose to make an objection, a frown on his face after hearing how much thought Nick had put into this.

He asked in a voice that had just a hint of confusion in it ''Wait... why are you overthinking that so much? I mean, wasn't Bishop the one who said that the location and circumstances don't matter that much when I told her how I planned to ask Delilah? I wouldn't worry about it so much if I were you.''

''Says the guy whose plan to propose involved mathematical symmetry.'' Nick mocked him.

Tim didn't let that faze him, though.  
''Yeah, and at the end of the day, I ended up proposing in an elevator at NCIS,'' he countered, a little bit of smugness detectable in his voice as well as visible on his face.  
''And she said yes and we're now married and have two beautiful kids. So don't worry about it so much. If Bishop wants to marry you, she's going to say yes regardless of where or how you propose to her.''

Nick looked away from Tim and pouted just a bit, his eyebrows drawn together into a frown, not entirely convinced yet.  
''But I want it to be special. Especially since it won't be the first time someone proposes to her,'' he replied, knowing about her marriage to Jake and about Qasim's proposal, which she had told him about sometime in their relationship when they were starting to really get serious.

''Torres, seriously. Don't let this drive you mad. I was in your shoes as well, I racked my brain trying to come up with the best proposal idea, and in the end, I discarded that idea anyway.  
It won't do you or Bishop any good if you lose your mind over this,'' McGee tried once again to soothe Nick's worries.

But to no avail, apparently, when Nick opened his mouth to obviously disagree again with what he'd said.

''But-''

The sound of a key turning in the lock of the apartment door made him stop talking, just as the door opened and Ellie and Delilah entered the apartment.

Both men stood up from the couch and walked toward their respective wife and girlfriend to greet them.  
McGee leaned down to kiss his wife, and Nick gave Ellie a kiss as well.

''How was breakfast?'' Nick asked Ellie, knowing she always enjoys food as long as it tastes good.

''Very delicious,'' Ellie answered dreamily, thinking back to the breakfast they'd had, after which Delilah asked the two men a question of her own.  
''And how did the two of you manage with the twins?''

''Just fine, D,'' Tim told her, adding ''They've been peacefully sleeping for a while now. We put them down for a nap after they had a fight. Guess they were just a little cranky because they were tired.''

Though that turned out to be spoken too soon, because just after the words had left his mouth, Morgan and Johny came running into the room, throwing themselves at Delilah's legs and trying to climb onto her wheelchair to sit in her lap and hug her.  
''Mommy back!'' Morgan exclaimed excitedly, as Delilah gave her kids a smile and leaned down to help them climb onto her lap to give them a proper hug.

''Food?'' Johnny asked soon after that.

''You had breakfast before I left,'' Delilah stated, looking at Tim, who shrugged.  
Both of the twins now stared at their mom with wide eyes, giving her innocent looks.  
Delilah rolled her eyes and sighed.  
''Okay fine, a little snack won't hurt. You can have some apple slices, alright?'' she suggested, causing the two children to nod happily.  
All four adults had to chuckle slightly at that.

''I guess that's our cue to leave,'' Nick concluded then, grabbing his jacket.

They all said their goodbyes and then Ellie and Nick left and drove home to quietly enjoy the rest of their day off, glad that neither one of them had to work.


End file.
